Andrea Gropa was a 14th-century Albanian nobleman who ruled the region and the city of
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
, first as a minor vassal for a very short time (župan) to Serbian King
Vukašin Mrnjavčević
Vukašin (Cyrillic script: Вукашин) is an old Slavic name of Serbian origin. It is composed from two words: Vuk (wolf) and sin (son), so it means sin vuka (son of wolf). In some places in Croatia and Bosnia it can be found as a surname.
...
(r. 1365–1371), then as independent after 1370. He was a rival to Prince Marko and together with
Andrea II Muzaka
Andrea II Muzaka, was an Albanian noble of the Muzaka family and the ruler of the Principality of Muzaka. His grandfather is known as one of the first notable rulers of the principality and also the titular "Marshal of Albania". His father was ...
managed to take Prilep and Kostur from him. He hailed from the noble
Gropa family
The Gropa family was an Albanian noble family which ruled the region between Pogradec, Ohrid and Debar in the period 12th — 14th century.Vlora 19565. Gropa: "The sphere of influence of the Gropas was no doubt concentrated in the region between ...
.
Life
Andrea was a member of the Albanian
Gropa family
The Gropa family was an Albanian noble family which ruled the region between Pogradec, Ohrid and Debar in the period 12th — 14th century.Vlora 19565. Gropa: "The sphere of influence of the Gropas was no doubt concentrated in the region between ...
. His ancestor
Pal Gropa
Pal (Paulo, Paulo) Gropa () was an Albanian feudal ruler of Ohrid and Debar from the 13th century.
Biography
Pal Gropa from Ohrid is known as the lord of Debar. It belongs to the medieval Gropa family. Chroniclers call him "a vassal of the C ...
was acknowledged by
Charles I of Naples
Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...
in 1273: "nobili viro sevasto Paulo Gropa »casalia Radicis maioris et Radicis minons, пeс non Cobocheste, Zuadigorica, Sirclani et
Craye, Zessizan sitam in valle de Ebu". During the
Serbian expansion in Macedonia, the Gropa also moved towards the south, becoming neighbours with
Arianiti
The House of Arianiti were an Albanian noble family that ruled large areas in Albania and neighbouring areas from the 11th to the 16th century. Their domain stretched across the Shkumbin valley and the old Via Egnatia road and reached east to to ...
and
Spata.
[Sufflay 2000, p. 145: "U vrijeme srpskog prodiranja u Makedoniju pomiču se i Grope prema jugu, postaju susjedi Arianita i Spata, a po smrti kralja Vukašina, Andrija Gropa, koji se na grčkom kamenom natpisu (1378.) naziva megas zupanos (župan velji)"]
After
Emperor Dušan
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
's death (1355), Gropa was a local ruler in the district of Ohrid.
[Soulis 1984]
p. 142
/ref> Prior to the Battle of Maritsa, Gropa was a vassal to the Mrnjavčević family; The ''King of Serbia'' Vukašin Mrnjavčević
Vukašin (Cyrillic script: Вукашин) is an old Slavic name of Serbian origin. It is composed from two words: Vuk (wolf) and sin (son), so it means sin vuka (son of wolf). In some places in Croatia and Bosnia it can be found as a surname.
...
(r. 1365 – died 1371), held Western Macedonia as a co-ruler to Emperor Stephen Uroš V of Serbia
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
(r. 1355 – died 1371).
After the death of King Vukašin and his brother Jovan Uglješa at the Battle of Maritsa against the Ottomans in 1371, and the subsequent death of the Emperor, there was a crisis in appointing the successor of the throne. Vukašin's son, Marko, did not have the power to unite his lords, and only retained nominal rule over the area from his base at Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appea ...
.
After Maritsa, the Dejanovići became Ottoman vassals. By 1377, Vuk Branković extended his rule over Skopje, and Gropa is mentioned as lord of Ohrid. Bogdan, Gropa and Marko, and the rest of the rulers in Western Macedonia became vassals to Murad I.[Soulis 1984]
p. 100
/ref> The vassals had to pay tribute to the Ottoman sultan and supply troops in case of war.[
Gropa is mentioned as ''megas zupanos'' ('']župan veliki
Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županij ...
'') in a Greek stone inscription dating to 1378.[ He set himself up as ''Grand ]Župan
Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županija) ...
'' of Ohrid, in southwest Macedonia.[Parry;Yapp 1975, p. 167: "In southwest Macedonia, the Albanian Andrea Gropa (Cropa) set himself up as the 'Grand Zupan' (Prefect) of Ohrid."] In 1379, he became a ktitor
''Ktetor'' ( el, κτήτωρ) or ''ktitor'' (; ka, ქტიტორი ''kt’it’ori''; ro, ctitor), meaning "founder", is a title given in the Middle Ages to the provider of funds for construction or reconstruction of an Eastern Orthodox ch ...
for a church in Ohrid dedicated to St. Clement. Gropa was mentioned as "župan Gropa" in the funeral inscription of his son-in-law Ostoja Rajaković
Ostoja Rajaković ( sr-cyr, Остоја Рајаковић, d. October 1379) was a Serbian nobleman in the service of Marko Mrnjavčević. He governed land around Ohrid. He was the son-in-law of '' župan'' (count) Andrea Gropa
Andrea Gropa w ...
(1380).
According to the ''Muzaka chronicles
The Muzaka were an Albanian noble family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe (southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mention Muzak ...
'', Gropa joined Andrea II Muzaka
Andrea II Muzaka, was an Albanian noble of the Muzaka family and the ruler of the Principality of Muzaka. His grandfather is known as one of the first notable rulers of the principality and also the titular "Marshal of Albania". His father was ...
and the Balšić family against Marko; He gained Kostur and Debar
Debar ( mk, Дебaр ; Albanian: ''Dibër''/''Dibra'' or ''Dibra e Madhe;'' ) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has ...
, and became virtually independent from Marko.
Gropa also minted coins, findings dating to c. 1377 – c. 1385, inscribed in Old Serbian with his title as ''župan'' and ''gospodar'', with his signature as "Po milosti Božijoj župan Gropa".[ He was the last Christian ruler of Ohrid before the Ottoman conquest. His signature is found in the scriptorium of the Church of St. Sofia in Ohrid.
The date of his death is unknown, the ''Muzaka chronicles'' says there were no descendants and that his lands were assigned to the Muzaka family after his death.
]
Family
Gropa married Anne (Kyranna), the daughter of Andrea II Muzaka
Andrea II Muzaka, was an Albanian noble of the Muzaka family and the ruler of the Principality of Muzaka. His grandfather is known as one of the first notable rulers of the principality and also the titular "Marshal of Albania". His father was ...
.[ His brother-in-law was ]Balša II Balšić Balša ( sr, Балша, transl. Balsha) is a Serbian name and may refer to:
* Balša Božović, Serbian politician
* Balša Brković, Montenegrin writer
* Balša Radunović, Montenegrin basketballer
* Balša Rajčević, Serbian artist
* House of ...
. Gropa's son-in-law was Ostoja Rajaković
Ostoja Rajaković ( sr-cyr, Остоја Рајаковић, d. October 1379) was a Serbian nobleman in the service of Marko Mrnjavčević. He governed land around Ohrid. He was the son-in-law of '' župan'' (count) Andrea Gropa
Andrea Gropa w ...
, a lord in Ohrid and relative to Marko.[Stanojević 1915, Delo, Volume 72, A.M. Stanojević, p. 270]
Legacy
Gropa is, like some the other provincial lords during the breakdown and fall of the Serbian Empire
The fall of the Serbian Empire was a decades-long process in the late 14th century. Following the death of childless Emperor Stefan Uroš V in 1371, the Empire was left without an heir and the magnates, ''velikaši'', obtained the rule of its pro ...
( between 1354-1371), enumerated in the Serb epic poetry.
References
Sources
* Marko Šuica, „Nemirno doba srpskog srednjeg veka“, Beograd, 2000.
* М. Шуица, Немирно доба српског средњег века. Властела српских обласних господара, Београд 2001.
* Велики жупан у Лексикон српског средњег века, приредили С. Ћирковић и Р. Михаљчић, Knowledge, Београд 1999.
* Sergije Dimitrijević, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1997
Srednjovekovni srpski novac
*American Numismatic Society., 1964
Numismatic literature, Issues 58-65
p. 293
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gropa, Andrea
Medieval Ohrid
People from medieval Macedonia
14th-century Albanian people
14th-century Serbian nobility
14th-century rulers in Europe
14th-century births
14th-century deaths
People of the Serbian Empire
Andrea
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that r ...
Medieval Albanian nobility
Boyars of Stefan Dušan